War of the Davenports
The War of the Davenports was an internescine conflict between the House of Davenport and it's cadet branch, the FitzDavenports. It marked the end of the orignal dynasty and the rise of the "Fitz's." Original splintering. Baen Davenport helped found the Kingdom of Erzoth in 1000 and his house became one of the most powerful, with the honored title "Warden of the Northwest Marches" bestowed upon the head of the house. In 1019, Baen's nephew, Marvin, was granted some lands and incomes by Erz and decided to found a cadet branch of his House. Marvin was said to be a tireless worker who had difficulty getting adequate sleep. This new cadet branch, the FitzDavenports as they called themselves, saw their lands expand greatly in the next two decades, to the point that the orignal House Davenport began to view them as a threat. What exactly caused the initial outbreak of fighting is unsure. Subsequent FitzDavenport propaganda has laid the blame squarely on Davenport tyranny and oppression, whilst at the time, the Davenports blamed the younger house for troublemaking and impetuosity. Most likely, the two houses, spoiled by the abundant and expanding lands and resources, developed a sense of entitlement while also working themselves into an overcomplicated prisoner's dilemna in which each side felt that the other had to be eliminated or at least severely weakened. Or maybe the Davenports were just evil Hitler-people who cackled insanely. Who knows? The War The fighting began in the summer of 1039 when a vast Davenport host entered the FitzDavenport lands and harried and burned the countryside. The FitzDavenports lost an initial battle and were driven back behind the walls of their capital. A siege commensed. The Davenports failed to bring their enemies to heel and, as winter set on, disease gave way to frostbite and their ranks were decimated. They withdrew early in the new year. Marvin II, son of HouseFitzdavenport's founder, counterattacked in the spring, driving the invaders back and invading their territory. In October of 1040, a massive battle was fought at a place that would subsequently be called "Raven's Field." All of the remaining members of House Davenport were killed in this battle, and their force scattered. By the following January, the seat of House Davenport had fallen, and the FitzDavenports had quadrupled their landholdings. Aftermath After the war was over, Lord Marvin paid a visit to the royal court in Karmine to apologize for the war and renew his oaths of fealty. One chronicler, who interviewed Lord Marvin, relates: Upon entering, the dragon, Erz, gave him a look that did not bode well. Marvin later remarked that he had come to the meeting to ensure he wouldn't lose his own lands, but was now unsure if he would walk out of the meeting without having his head bitten off by the Dragon. The victorious lord bent the knee and greeted Erz and her king. She inclined her head and said, in an icily cold tone "Congratulations on your victory, My Lord." "At this point" Marvin later related, "anyone in the room who hadn't already at least given thought to pissing himself, now did so." It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to a massive dragon, nevertheless, Marvin had to try. He expressed regret that the war could not have been brought to a more peaceful conclusion (Erz had sent out repeated calls for peace, with both sides blaming the other for intransigence. The Dragon likely would have intervened personally had the war not ended as quickly as it did) and vowed to repair the damages caused by the war. He further stated that his house remained as steadfastly loyal to the crown as it had ever been, and finally offered the lands of the now extinct House Davenport as tribute. Finally, when he had finished speaking, Erz and the King looked at one another. "Very well" said the Dragon, "You shall amend your transgressions in the years to come. It seems to me, however, that your Great Uncle's lands, by your family's right of succession, fall now to the FitzDavenports." A stunned Lord Marvin could find no words. "This affair is dismissed" she continued "You may go, Lord FitzDavenport of the Westmarch." The new Warden of the Westmarch bowed his way all the way back to the door. No doubt feeling as if he'd gotten more than he'd hoped for, or wanted. It took a few years for things to settle down and for relations between the crown and the FitzDavenports to be repaired. Lord Marvin saw to the rebuilding of the economy and led several successful campaigns at his liege's behest. One question that has remained controversial is why Erz simply allowed the FitzDavenports to continue ruling, indeed; granting them the lands of their deceased relatives, rather than using their shoddy loyalty as a pretext to take the lands directly under the metaphorical wing of her and the crown. There are a few reasons that may explain this: First of all, the Davenports were always known as being a bit "out there" in contrast to the other vassals. Always a little too reckless for their own good. Carrying on in the fine tradition of their House's founder, "piss and vineger" Baen. Thus, their recourse to violence might be more easily hand waved than it might have for another family. A more practical reason is that no one was better suited to rule the vast western lands than the family who had been doing it for decades. No one better understood the various squabbling tribes out on the frontier. Whatsmore, if anyone understood the logistics of making sure that enough bushels of wheat were produced to feed everyone, with a little left over to pay the appropriate tithes, it was the existing family in charge. Whatever the reasoning, the FitzDavenports now became, essentially, the new Davenports, carrying on in the legacy of Lord Marvin's uncle.